A zoo director is said to have killed four pygmy goats from his farm to serve at a holiday dinner.
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An investigation by Mexican authorities found that animals at Chilpancingo Zoo were being sold, traded or eaten on orders from director Jose Ruben Nava, according to Sky News.
However, the Director of Wildlife at the Environment Ministry is said to have been particularly shocked that Jose Ruben Nava allegedly had four male pygmy goats from the zoo killed for cooking and serving at a year-end banquet.
“The four animals were slaughtered and cooked on the zoo grounds and served as food at the year-end party,” wildlife director Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez said, according to Sky News.
The manager is also said to have feared for the health of partygoers who ate the animals.
“This endangers the health of the people who ate them because these animals are not fit for human consumption,” said Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez.
Even a zebra would have been exchanged for tools.
Herds of deer and watusi were also reportedly handed over to undocumented migrants, Sky News reports.
The director, Jose Ruben Nava, was removed from his post on January 12 following the death of a deer at the zoo.
It is not known whether charges have been brought against him.